A call for error management in academic clinical research

Abstract

•Although the realisation of the alarming frequency, harm, and costs of errors in clinical care has led to error management systems being widely implemented, there has not been similar efforts to manage errors or failures in academic investigator-initiated clinical research. •Errors and failures frequently occur in clinical research and can negatively impact research quality, potentially contributing to significant wasted resources and patient harm. There is an urgent need to implement error management in academic clinical research. •Specific strategies that can assist error management in clinical research include error reporting systems so that lessons can be learnt, a systematic approach to disclosing errors to clinical research participants, and emotional support being proactively offered to investigators involved in errors.